"King of Superfund Sites" wants to open a giant radioactive dump in W Texas…what could go wrong?

[marmar]

from Mother Jones:



The nuclear crisis in Japan has provided a vivid reminder that one of the biggest conundrums of atomic power is what do do with all of the resulting radioactive waste. Harold Simmons believes he's found an answer. The Texas billionaire and corporate raider is opening a nuclear waste dump in West Texas, despite objections from environmentalists and the state's own experts. One of the Lone Star State's largest donors to Republican causes, Simmons expects his that privately-owned site will become the nation's most sought after radioactive waste repository.

The reclusive, litigious 79-year-old made his personal fortune from garbage collection, drug stores, metals, and chemicals. His net worth is valued at $5.7 billion, making him the 55th richest American, according to Forbes. He's shared his money—more than $10 million of it—with conservative politicians and causes, bankrolling attack ads against John Kerry and Barack Obama and giving Republican Texas Governor Rick Perry at least $1.2 million. He has been fined for violating campaign donation limits and outed by one of his daughters for paying her to let him make political contributions in her name. He's been called the "King of Superfund Sites" for his work disposing of hazardous waste. Last year, D Magazine named him "Dallas' most evil genius."

Much of Simmons' genius resides in how he's leveraged his political investments. In 1995, he bought a hazardous waste disposal company, Waste Control Specialists, and set about converting an isolated spot in Andrews County into a nuclear waste dump. After six years of lobbying the state legislature, WCS convinced it to pass a law authorizing private companies to be licensed to handle radioactive waste. ............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://motherjones.com/environment/2011/03/texas-nuclear-waste-dump

[plumbob]

1. This site is 30 miles from my house and sits on top of my drinking water.

Not only did Simmons get the state to accept all liability in case of leaks, he also got Andrews County to pass a $70 million bond issue to loan HIM the money at extremely cheap rates to build it. If he defaults, of course, Andrews will still have to pay their bond off.

No doubt he needed the money - he's only a billionaire and the 179th richest person on the planet, after all, poor baby.

http://www.forbes.com/profile/harold-simmons

The "impermeable" red clay is actually a filter. When you drill a water well out here, you will hit water, but it is much more mineralized than if you continue on through the red bed, as it's called here, to get much clearer water after it FILTERS THROUGH the clay.

Local opposition could not overcome his outright purchase of Andrews County officials, and in Texas, counties hold all the cards on this type of development. So here I sit, waiting for 5 generations of work to be ruined forever, while this bastard sits 400 miles away in Dallas cackling over his money.

Since nothing and nobody can touch him on this earth, I wish him a long and painful existence in hell. May it commence soon.


Edited to add: see their own site and their own words: http://www.wcstexas.com/

[Liberal_in_LA]

9. +100

[Liberal_in_LA]

10. Tonights national news had a story about a huge coal ash dump near a small town

Owner of the site calls his business MMHF = Making Money Having Fun. Another old guy cackling over his money while people get cancer

[Ozymanithrax]

2. It's West Texas...

The state where almost every small town built a private enterprise prisons that now stand empty.

This doesn't surprise me that the next step in private enterprise is to turn it into a radioactive dump site.

[blogslut]

3. Andrews county sits atop the water source for five states

Simmons is scum.

[Ozymanithrax]

4. Do not insult scum by calling Simmons scum...

He is the scum that sucm considers scum.

[blogslut]

5. True

But we take our water supply damned serious here in West Texas. I don't know which man is worse - Boone Pickens who wants to drink our water dry or Simmons who doesn't care if he poisons the well as long as he's supplied with filthy lucre for the remainder of his wicked life.

[w4rma]

8. That water will be radioactive and filled with all sorts of poisons if he isn't stopped.

I would suggest that folks from all five states band together to stop him.

[GReedDiamond]

6. Good luck with this insane fucker, Ozymanithrax...

...I hope the people of Texas can run this repug shitbag and his death dump outta the state before it has a chance to get off the ground, or, more likely, into it.

If not, I would suggest Gov. Perry's basement/backyard as an alternate location to the one near you.

[freshwest]

7. Where's the pro-nuke crowd on this thread? Nothing ever goes wrong long as they get a check.

:(